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Patented June 9, 1891.

(No Model.)

S. G. G. CUBRIR,

SECONDARY BATTERY,

^ ments of asocalled "secondary or storaggfe? STATES PA'rsNT lNIA, Assiettes To A SAME PLACE;

THE UNITED GAS IMPROVEMENT,COlllPlilS', l(llt,l

SECONDARY BATTERY.

1 srnorrxcnrronr ferme- 1g para of Letters Patent N.453;e95, diced Jim-e 9,"1891'1 ,l 1

Application iiled January 91,1891s serial No. 379.256.` (No modem' f *l i Be it known that l'S'rANLEY' GHRLES Great Britain, `out now residing at the city of Philadelphia', in ythe county etv Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in 'Seoondary or Storage' Batteries,-ef which the following isal specication.

My invention relates to the plates or elef v battery.-

me of semis-inveeinem wie be quickb" transfer-@d byesifi 'mit Hithert-o the' methodsV generally employed lfor the manufactre of plates lor elements of a. secondary or storage battery have either been tlie'purely electrolytic or Plante', method o'z' the 'mechanical method of applying, under pressure,;lead oxides to a conducting frame' or support. f

Myinvention lhas relation to the foriner' metliod, but embracing novel and important catorce-.end steps in connection withthe. sertie' ferthe'production'ot battery plates or elescents.V i

The principle object of my present invention is to provide a. cheap, durable, and ef-4 cient'batterjy'plate or elementot tiny snitable shape 'or formiadapte'd for use as a secondaryy or storage battery "and .a plate or element,i which will not disintegrate or possess the del-`V eterious eieetshitherto existing inthe' plates or elementsof electric batteries.

My invention consists of a batt-ery plateor element'prodnced substantially in the manner hereinafterdescribed and pointed ont in the claims.`l

In 'order that my invention may be fully understood, a brief description 'will now be egiven" offzigeneralfmethodeofl-#predeeing the seme, and in'that connection will oe pointed out the particular` characteristic features of of the batteryplate or'element so produced. `In the presentinjvention the principal object is' to convert-or transform ordinary lead,

vcast or rolled, partially into a,V poi-onse;` soft spongfy metallic state or condition by electrolyu vsis for, nseas a battery. element,

'Heretoforel the AJ principal objections 'presented t@ theniethod' of redneing a plateof.

lead spon'gy or porous'and'olfsiicient thick-4 ness or vionlk for practicalpurposes. This method, as is well known, regnires a number without a constant .repetition of the. treat- .Inent, thev principalreason being that only ther taken np by the lead, escaped in the fornrof gas. This of course is the case when simple lead constitutes the elements` and they are immersed in a bath composed of vleoni b'y electrolytic action infsuch amanner aregrequired, and that the lead can be quickly and elfectnally penetrated -to the 'required depth; and','moreover, that the salt of lead into which ysnch plate or blcckisconverteflin theiirst instance is' brought tos'uch a. stat'eor Suitable liquid or batli- .antiin .a solntion anode's l and cathodes. An electric ycurrent riod of time, the anod'e'tobe gradually 'but clicracterasexperience'hosdemonstrate rsa vthe surface vot' the lead isyoxidized attirst;` hut'just as soon as this small amountis fully I oxidized the oxygen, being unable to be f ur- A dilute snlphnric acid. l hav'disfcovle: by v a. series of experiments that it is possibleto penetrate into a, plate or block vof ordinary' is then passed, whichcanses, in a short'pe-v 'Brice y l to a spongy metallic state or 'condition 'in' a:

solution of dilute. sulpliuric acid hasbeen the extreme length of .time requiredftorender the L of reversals of the electric current- So that it isimpossible to attain the required result asthat but'one or two reversals of current v vcondition as to be 'readily reducible again to ich my present invention is founded, f i

abatteryplate orelement. Forex'a'mpletwo f t platesoebleeks-.of lead are .immersed- Ainv a.

in which the lead is insoluble,thel blocks orplatf: of lead beingv `arranged` therein as i f uniformly transformed to the required. deptli, ,-7 forming therebyalay'er yor'thick 'iil'nrv of lead q 'i .salt as apart thereof,,and`.ofy siichgeneral, 'midline of currentinto porous metallic lead or to a spongy metallic state or condton for use as of rods or wires.

an element of a battery when mounted in a suitable electrolyte, such as dilute sulphuric acid, the element being formed therein in the .ordinary manner. 1 As the plate or element is thus produced in a porous or spongy condition, no constant reversals of current are required.

The solutionto mount the plate or block ofsented or disadvantageous feature arising,-

means have been devised, forming a part of the present invention, in which the lead chloride so formed 'is retained to the internal body of the plate or block without interfer ing in any. manner lwith the converting .or transforming steps of the process for the pro. duction of the battery element, this' step being permitted according to my invention to continue under due regulationv until the required depth of lead chloride isformed. As soon as the-required depth of chloride surface has been obtained, which can be readily ascertained from the quantity of current permitted to pass, it is transferred and becomes the cathode element of the tank. As the sof' lution in the tank ischloride of zinc, whena current is caused to pass there is deposited.

metallic zinc on the cathode. This .metallic zinc, it has been found, hastens the reduction of the lead chloride of the cathode to a metallic state or condition and remains-that is to say, the zinc-in the solution,and thus it may be used over and over again. The retaining medium for the plate or block of lead duringl its aforesaid treatment, as well as during its use as a battery element, preferably consists of a casing or coveringv of Woven or braided asbestus or analogous material. v

A In the practice of the present invention -it ispreferred that the lead plates or elements in the first instance should'be simplya s'eries When the plates are in the .form of blocks or plates of lead, asin the first instance mentioned, the asbestus will -be cut in lengthsandsuitably applied thereto,

and theleadv-,in a molten state poured into suitable molds and the lengths o fasbestus subsequently caused to surround or envelop; While in the latter case the as-. bcstus will he braided-or otherwise caused to the same.

surround the lead wires or rods, and the rods or wires then4 preferably formed into f series of loops with-'a single conduct!" therefor, each series of the rods or wires with the woven or braided asbestus around them conl stituting a plate. The method and manner hereinbefore described of constructing the plates applies more particularlyto the peroxide plates; but the asbestus covering. 'is re'-v tained and effectually prevents dlsintegration of the peroxide plates after continuous action in use as a storage-battery. t

Having fully described the nature of the invention, and pointed out the particular features thereof,I will now refer to the accompanying drawings, illustrating the, mode of treating such materials for the production --pendng blocks of lead or analogous material, partly in .elevation and partly in section, to more fully illustrate the mode and extent to which each block or rod of the series con stituting the plate is penetrated, and showing also the central. core or bcdy of ordinary lead undisturbed by such action to become a part of the conducting means of the plate in conjunction with the horizontal bar or rod burnt or otherwise applied to the up`- per arts of thefseries of blocks constituting the attery-plate. Fig. .3 is a similar view of a modified formof plate embodying the particular features of my invention. Figui isal sectional view of a complete cell on dierent lines, but at right angles' to the plates, the said view showing two systems of battery plates or elements embodying the features ol my invention vmounted in said cell and in forms adapted as such for use as a complete secondary or storage battery; and Fig.. 5 is a similar view. showing modifications of the plates or elements.

Referring to the drawings, a is a tank constructed of any suitable material'and of an preferred form.

b is a suitable solution contained in said t-'.nk,'and preferably composed of dilute chlo-V ride of zinc.

c are the series of blocks, rods, or wires of lead or analogous material enveloped-or incased in a .covering or case d, preferably composed .of woven or braided asbestus oranalo-v gous material.

eisa conductor burnt or otherwise applied -to 'the tops of the series of blocks, rods, or

wires c, constituting the respective plates.

jFigs. 2 and 3, represents in sectin the .blocks or rods penetrated or transformed by.

the elect rolytic action permitted to take place in .thel tank a, and converted by suchaction into a chloride or salt state or condition, and

IOO

then by a simple reversal reduced to a soft y spong-y or porous metallic condition.

g represents the internal body or solid core I -maintained free from 'such action, and in its normal state or condition as metallic lead, and 1n such state'or condition becomes a good 5 conductor in the subsequent use of the plate as an element of a secondary or storage bat- .'The method 'of carrying my .invention into eect-is as follows: he plate or anode desigro nated inv Fig. 1 by t the tank a., after the passing of a current for a required vtime becomes coated on thesurface of the lead beneath the asbestos or analo'- gousiouter woven or braided covering or casx 5 ing with alayer of chloride of lead (PbCl,)-

and tothe required depth thereof. It is then removed and replaces the plateor c'at-hode l designated by the letter f2, in the tank a, which by this time .has been reduced as far as the `zol internal core orf-:body thereof to a porous or soft spongy metallic state or condition for use, and so en infregnlar succession and in a similar manner plates to be treated are placed ,posed preferablyof dilute chloride of zinc for I the aforesaid treatment, the solution being constantlyrecovered in the manner herein- 'before fully described.

In Fig. 4 is illustrated a com plete cell show- 3o ing a system of positive -plates- 7N embodying 'the particular features of my present inven- 1 tion mounted in the cell in a suitable solution with a system, of negative plates f3 ofl an)` suitable form orshape and condition.

In Fig'. 5 isillustrate'da complete cell show- :ing two systems of platcsf and f2, mounted "therein-,- indiluteulplmric acid. It. .will be observed that the woven or braided asbestos' vor analogous fibrous material casing or cover-l qe ing d of each of the plates serves not only to Support the spongy or porous metallic portion thereof, but also ,constitutes a. mostcticiont insulating 'means between the respective pla-tes constituting said two systems mounted |int-he cell.

i In thepractice of the present invention it 'has been demonstrated that' not only very cheap and exceedingly durable battery-plates ire produced by the'method hereinbefore de- 5'0 scribed, but a most efficient, economical, and lasting battery is obtained and one in which disintegration of the elements does not take *place in the' use thereof, and many other delen=`eriotsce'actsare obviatel that were incident to batteries as hitherto employed for storing up electricenergy. Instead of employing fchlqride of zinc for the-,isolation during' the 'comforting stage of v core or internal'conducting body with an ine letter f,'mounted in a nseries of rods', bars, or wires of east or rolled the method of producing the plates, chloride of iron may alsobc used with good results. Having thus described the nature and objects. of my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A battery plate or element havinga metal 6 tegral spongy or porous metallic surface and 5 inelosed ina casing or covering of woven or braided fibrous material or materials, sub= stantially as described.

2. A battery plate or elementcomposed of -rolled or cast lead, spongy or porous,to the internal core r body thereof and inclosed within woven or braided fibrous material, substantially as described.

3. A battery plate or element .composed of lead, porous or spongy, to the internal metallic core or body thereof and incased in woven or braided asbestus, substantially as described.

4. A battery plate or element composed of l 8c lead covered with Woven or braided asbestus, and the Wires, bars, or rodsl constituting the plate, porous or spongy, to the internal core" or body thereof, substantially as described;

5. A battery plate 'or element composed oi a series of blocks, bars, or wires of cast or rolled lead iucased in Woven or braided insulating material, and the said .incased Wires, bars, or blocks to the integral metal core in a soft spongy or porous metallic state, substantially as described.

6.' A battery plate or element composed of blocks, rods, or wires of cast or rolled lead incased in woven or braided asbestus, and the said blocks, rods, or wires,porous or spongy, to -the integral core or conduct-ing metallic body thereof, substantially as-described.

'7. The combination, in a secondary or stori age battery, of a cell, a suitable electrolyte, and

two systems of plates or elements composed of blocks, bars, or wires ineascd in woven or braided asbcstus or analogous fibrous material mounted in saidcell, and the said wires, blocks, or bars having a spong f' or porous surfacel to the internal and integra-l metallic core thereof, and bars burnt or otherwise applied to the upper parts of said plates, substantially' as 4and for the purposes described. In witness vwbcreot I have hereunto set my signature in the 'witnesses STANLEY CHARLES CUTHBER'I (.URRIE- v Witnesses:

HERMANNI HORMANN,

THOMAS M.v SMITH.'

roo

presence of` two subscribing no- 

